The state of the economy remains the biggest concern for the transport industry, according to the 21st annual Top Industry Issues report by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), published on Sunday during the American Trucking Associations’ (ATA) Management Conference & Exhibition in San Diego. The survey is divided into two sections. The first presents the problems troubling professional CDL drivers, and the second outlines the biggest challenges faced by trucking companies. The economy has been the primary concern for trucking companies continuously since 2023. Among the truck drivers surveyed, Driver Compensation, Truck Parking, and English Language Proficiency were the top three issues. In contrast, carriers identified Economy, Lawsuit Abuse Reform, and Insurance Cost and Availability as their three biggest problems. The results from both groups – over 4200 respondents – were appropriately weighted and combined to create an overall ranking.
Lawsuit Abuse Reform and Insurance Cost and Availability advanced in the overall ranking, taking 2nd and 3rd place respectively. Lack of Truck Parking dropped two spots this year to 4th, while Driver Compensation remained in 5th place. Four new issues appeared in this year’s Top 10: English Language Proficiency for Drivers, Diesel Emissions Regulations, Driver Training Standards, and Artificial Intelligence in Trucking.
After falling to 9th position last year, Driver Shortage dropped out of the top ten for the first time in the survey’s 21-year history. Despite this, the issue has not been forgotten; it ranked 12th. Trucking company owners still classify the need to find and retain qualified drivers as their 5th and 6th most important concerns.
Diesel Emissions Regulations, which were widely discussed this year due to their 2027 implementation deadline, appeared on the list for the first time in 8th place, replacing earlier concerns about zero-emission vehicles that had been in the Top 10 for the previous two years. The Trump administration’s decision to revoke California’s electric vehicle requirements earlier this year caused Battery Electric Vehicles to drop from 6th place in last year’s survey to 23rd this year.
In summary, the economy once again solidifies its position as the biggest concern in the transport industry. While carriers focus on insurance costs and lawsuit abuse reform, drivers are more troubled by wages and the lack of parking; interestingly, for the first time in the ranking’s history, the traditional problem of driver shortage fell out of the Top 10. Newcomers to the list include the high position of diesel emission regulations and concerns about English language proficiency for drivers.
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